Automatic firing gear for airplanes and airships



Aug. 12, i924. f s

P. R. A. CARMI AUTOMTIC FIRING GEAR FOR AIRPLANES ANI) IRSHIPS Filed may 31,- w22 2 shszsshaez i Aixg. i2', 1924.

AUTOMATIC Lsois'i F. R. L. A. CARMIER FIRING GEAR FOR AIRPLAHES AND AIRSHIPS Fild May 3;, 1923 2 Sheets-Shut 2 Fig'. 2.

,4 l l l l 1 l l x l 4 l l I Patented Aug. 12, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PIERRE ROGER LOUIS AUGUSTE CARMIER, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

AUTOMATIC FIRING GEAR FOR AIRPLANES AND AIRSHIPS.

Application fded May 3,1, 1922. Serial No. 564,998.

To all whom t may 00a-cern.'

Be it known that I, PIERRE ROGER LOUIS AUGUSTE CARMIER, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Paris, France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Firing Gears for Airplanes and Airships, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to tiring gear for airplanes and airships and it has for object an apparatus which gives automatically the correction for firing in connection with the sighting mechanism on airplanes and airships, the action of said apparat-us depending on the arrangement and the orientation of a virtual vector one extremity of which is formed by a ball through which passes the line of sight from the sight-notch in the sighting mechanism of the firearm. The length of the aforesaid vector varies, during the flight of the aerial machine, in accordance with the velocity of the wind passing through the said apparatus, while its orientation is due to the direction of the wind and its consequent effect on a small and suitably arranged air-turbine in combination with a linkage which carries the foresight forming the extremity of the virtual vector in question.

In the annexed drawing given by way of example:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an apparatus according to this invention, the turbine being seen in face view; Fig. 2 is a corresponding sectional elevation; Fig. 3 is a corresponding plan.

The correction for firing is given by the momentary position of the ball 1 in relation to the swivelling axis of the supporting post 2 of the apparatus. This ball is mounted on the staff 3 of a parallel linkage consisting of the parts 3, 4, 5, 6 articulated together. The link 6 is further articulated at 7 to the post 2 and the link 5 is subjected to the iniuence of a stem 8 articulated to it and sliding in a bush 9 which is articulated in a fork 10 fixed to the upper extremity of the supporting post 2.

The cylindrical bush 9 has a longitudinal groove 11 in which moves a pin 11a integral with the stem 8. Around this bush 9 turns a sleeve 12 to the end plate of which is fixed an air turbine 13 having a conical rim 14 and which turbine revolves under the effect of the wind acting on its blades 15. The sleeve 12 has an helicoidal groove 16 in which engages the extremity of the pin 11a. A conical spring 17 is fixed by one end to the end plate 18 fast on the turbine, while the other end of said spring is fast on the stirrup 19 by which the stem 8 is articulated to the stirrup 10 of the supporting post 2.

The pitch of the helicoidal groove 16 is determined according to the resistance of the spring 17 in connection with the couple set up by the turbine at the dierent velocities of the wind, this being effected in the following manner:

By presuming a projectile whose initial speed at the mouth of the firearm is known, it is then necessary to have a length a proportional to this initial speed and to the relative speed of the aerial machine. It is therefore required to construct a spring 17 whose maximum couple corresponds to that of the turbine for the greatest speed at which the aerial machine will be allowed to fly. The turbine is counter balanced and the curve is then determined point by point, for the tracing of the helicoidal groove 16.

For certain initial speeds, the dimensions of the apparatus may be such that it is useful to amplify or increase the dist-ance a. It is with this obj ect that, in the example given, the properties of the parallel linkage have been utilized; the point by which aim is taken is the point marked by the ball 1, this being the extremity of a virtual vector A turning around the point O. This position of the ball 1 has the advantage of giving a line of sight free from any obstacle which otherwise might be caused by some part of the apparatus.

The vector of variable length A must be oriented, as will be understood Jfrom the well known theory of aerial firing. For this purpose, the action of the air on the truncated cone 14 surrounding the blades 15 of the turbine is used, the small base of said cone 20 receiving the air' current. This.r truncated cone, by reason of its shape, has its axis always parallel to that of the aerial machine. This axis, passing through the bush 9 which carries the stem 8, causes by its oscillations, the displacement of the ball 1 in an arcuate line, while at the same time the whole apparatus pivots with its post 2, in a socket 21 in which the said post is retained by a spring pressed pusher 22. This arrangement permits of checking the state of the post and of lifting the apparatus from o the sighting gear 23 or the rearm upon una..

which it is mounted by means of the screwthreaded portion 24 of the socket and the nut 25.

Finally, it results from what has been said and by reason of the members of the parallel linkage, that the points l and 26 describe similar surfaces which in this case, are each a portion of a sphere.

This apparatus can be applied to all sighting gears in connection with the iiring gears of aerial machines in which the relative speeds of these machines come into consideration.

Naturally the invention is not limited to the constructive details above described and shown, as these may be modified to suit par ticular requirements Without departing from the nature and scope of the said invention.

Finally, it should be observed that the present apparatus can serve for other diiierent applications as for instance for anemometers or analogous purposes.

I claim- In firing gear for aerial machines the combination with the sighting gear thereof, of apparatus for automatically correcting the firing and consisting in a socket connected with the sighting gear, a svvivelling post carried by the socket, a parallel linkage articulated to said post, a statt' projecting from the parallel linkage, a ball forming the tip of the staff and the extremity of a virtual vector Whose other extremity is in the axial line of said swivelling post, a stem articulated to the parallel linkage, and a springcontrolled air-turbine mounted on said stem in movable relation thereto.

PIERRE ROGER LOUIS AUGUSTE CARMIER- 

